Drawing upon decades of experience, RAND provides research services, systematic analysis, and innovative thinking to a global clientele that includes government agencies, foundations, and private-sector firms.

The Pardee RAND Graduate School (PRGS.edu) is the largest public policy Ph.D. program in the nation and the only program based at an independent public policy research organization—the RAND Corporation.

Purchase

Purchase Print Copy

Abstract

When the Iraqi army withdrew from Kuwait during the Gulf war, it left the Kuwait oil fields in flames. Burning crude oil produces a wide range of pollutants. This report examines the peer-reviewed scientific literature regarding possible health effects on U.S. troops of exposure to the oil well fires. The author reports that measurements taken in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, where most troops were assigned, showed concentrations of pollutants to be orders of magnitude lower than recommended occupational standards in the United States and comparable to ambient levels. The literature review revealed no health effects associated with the pollutants at the levels measured during the oil fires. Particulate matter concentrations were high, but were largely attributable to sand granules of a size that can affect the respiratory systems of sensitive population subgroups such as smokers or asthmatics.

Research conducted by

This report is part of the RAND Corporation monograph report series. The monograph/report was a product of the RAND Corporation from 1993 to 2003. RAND monograph/reports presented major research findings that addressed the challenges facing the public and private sectors. They included executive summaries, technical documentation, and synthesis pieces.

Permission is given to duplicate this electronic document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND PDFs to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND PDFs are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND Permissions page.

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.

The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest.